Unappreciated
by bookworm8721
Summary: Ron has become quite comfortable with his lifestyle; a wife, kids, and an escalating Quidditch career. However, Hermione isn't reaping the benefits of this marriage. If things don't change, Ron is in for a rude awakening. Song-fic Unappreciated by Cherish


**Unappreciated **

**A/N: This is my first attempt at a song-fic. I heard this song on shuffle and thought how it could fit with one of my favorite couples. Let me know if I did it right! **

**Disclaimer: No own of HP, sadly or the lyrics of the song**

"Ron! Can you please help me with the children?" Hermione was calling Ron from the upstairs bathroom. Hugo, nearly one year old, was teething and cranky because he was tired, and Rose was four going on 25 and didn't want to take a bath because she liked the way mummy's perfume smelled on her. Hermione was on her wits end and needed her husband to get off the couch and intervene.

"Mione, I just got home from practice and my muscles are killing me!" he called from the living room.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley!" She heard him sigh and with a pop he was beside her in the bathroom.

"What do you need," he drawled out. Hermione glared at him momentarily.

"Well don't sound too enthusiastic," she snapped. "I need you to give Rose her bath so I can feed Hugo and put him to sleep."

"Why can't I feed Hugo and put him to sleep?" he whined.

"Because my breasts are sore, Ronald. It's not like I can just take my breasts off and give them to you so that you can breast feed our son who has an appetite like his father!"

"Well, I'm pretty sure we can figure out something. I mean we are wizards." Hermione looked at him with a look of unbelief. She wanted to believe he was joking, but when she realized he was serious, she wanted to scream at him, but she dare not to in front of the children. She could not believe how much of a prick he was being at the moment. This was not the man she married.

"I was being sarcastic! Give Rose her bath please. It's way past her bedtime." On that note, Hermione exited the bathroom to put her son to sleep in the nursery.

*~*

Hermione entered the bedroom after Hugo was settled to see Ron already in bed. He wasn't snoring yet, so she knew he wasn't completely asleep. He shifted and groaned when she sat on the bed.

"Mione?" he said groggily.

"Hm?"

"Could you rub this knot out of my shoulder? It's keeping me from going to sleep." She sighed and started rubbing the knot on her husband's shoulder despite the achiness in her own body.

"So, hard practice today?" she asked.

"We ran drills on the ground and off the ground for so long some of my team members barely made it to the locker rooms before collapsing." She hummed in response and rubbed his shoulder in silence.

"That's good, Mione. Thanks." Ron rolled over and snuggled into his pillow with his back to her. She stared at his back for a few moments. No "how was your day?" No "Thanks, love, would you like me to rub your shoulders?" What happened to equality in a marriage?

"Good night, Ron."

"Night, Hermione," he yawned.

"I love you," she whispered. He grunted in response. Who was this lazy git in bed with her? She crawled into bed and cried silent tears to sleep.

_I'm feeling really unappreciated _

_You're taking my love for granted, baby _

_I don't know_

_How much more_

_I can take from you_

_You don't do the things you use to do_

_You don't even say I love you too _

_And lately I've been feeling, feeling unappreciated. _

The next morning, Hermione went downstairs to see that Ron was eating breakfast already. He was completely enthralled in the paper he was reading and his mouth was packed full. He was chewing so loud that he probably didn't hear her come down the stairs and stand behind him. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He jumped, tossing the paper in the air, but quickly caught it before it hit the table.

"Good morning, love," she said into his ear, nipping it softly.

"Morning," he said, reaching behind him and patting her on the head. "I made you some toast if you want it," he said, eyes going back to the paper.

_Woke up this morning and saw your face_

_And you didn't look the same as yesterday_

_I got this feeling that you can't seem to see where you want to be_

"Thanks," she said, pointing her wand to make her some coffee. She was a bit puzzled because normally Ron would kiss her fully when she would nip his ear. When did she come second best to a newspaper? She moved to the counter to fix her toast by hand.

_And lately it hadn't been the same at all_

_When you're here it's like I'm invisible_

_I still can't seem to see where I went wrong_

_Cause I'm feeling…_

"You know tomorrow is Rose's first day in Muggle preschool." Ron grunted, still not looking up at her. "And I was thinking about moving my work back into the office because I can't get any work done here between the kids and keeping the house clean. I want to get your opinion on me going back to work in the office before I made my decision though." She waited for a response, but didn't even get a grunt. Hermione was getting frustrated and thought she would test the waters. She saw Ron out of the corner of her eye taking a drink. "And I'm having an affair with your brother Charlie" She heard more than saw Ron spit out his coffee.

"You're what?" he fumed.

"Oh, so that get's your attention. Honestly, Ronald, have you heard anything I said this morning?"

"How long have you been having this affair?"

"Geesh, I'm not having an affair! I just said that to get your attention. What in that paper has your attention more than I do?"

"It's nothing you'd be interested in. So you're not having an affair?"

"Ugh! You are so dense!" Hugo's cry from the nursery followed by Rose calling for mum interrupted her rant. She let out a loud sigh and ran her hand through her bushy morning hair.

"Could you help me with them before you head out?" Ron looked at his watch and winced.

"I really can't, Hermione. I'm about to be late. I'll make it up to you, promise." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and apparated out of there before she could get another word in.

"Mummy!" Hermione took a deep breath to hold back the tears.

"I'm coming, love," she called up the stairs.

_I'm feeling really unappreciated_

_You're taking my love for granted, baby_

_I don't know_

_How much more_

_I can take from you_

_You don't do the things you use to do_

_You don't even say I love you too_

_And lately I've been feeling, feeling unappreciated. _

Hermione jumped out of her train of thought when Molly Weasley placed a hot cup of tea in front of her. She smiled sadly and murmured thanks.

"The children are settled and napping peacefully, dear. Now what's troubling you?" Molly asked as she sat across from her.

"What do you mean?" Hermione answered.

"Come now, Hermione, you're practically a daughter of mine. I know when something's bothering you.

_Lately our house is not a home_

_You come in, take a shower, then say "I'm gone" _

_What am I to do _

_When my heart says leave_

_But my feet won't move_

"Mrs. Weasley…"

"Molly, dear. Call me Molly," she said with a warm smile.

"Molly," Hermione started, "I think my marriage is in trouble. Ron's been very distant lately. I feel like I have stranger living in our house, sleeping in my bed. I mean he's a good father and the children still adore him, but I feel like I'm losing him."

_And today is our anniversary_

_And you haven't even said two words to me_

_I'm trying hard to give you another chance_

_But oh, baby, I'm feeling…_

"Didn't you just have an anniversary?" Molly asked. Hermione felt the tears drop before she could stop them.

"He forgot. That morning he hardly said anything to me. I thought it was a ploy for a special surprise that evening. I waited in our bedroom in a…in a…" Hermione blushed and swallowed. Molly put a hand on hers.

"I understand, dear. You don't have to go into detail." Hermione smiled a little and continued.

"I charmed the room to shoot off rose petals that spelled out 'Happy Anniversary' when he walked into the room. I waited on the bed for hours and had dosed off when I heard him come in our front door. He stumbled up the stairs and when he walked in and set the charm off, he didn't even notice because he was drunk. He went straight into the bathroom and took a shower. I don't know much more of this I can take. It's like he's chosen his career over his family." Tears spilled onto the table as Molly squeezed her hand.

"You and Ron need to talk about this and work this out."

"How? I can hardly get him to pay attention to me when he's at home. Look, Molly, I have a favor to ask of you. Could the children stay here for a couple of days? I need some time to figure out what to do, and if things work out, we'll come get the kids and take them home. If not, I'm come get the children and leave."

"Hermione, you can't leave him. He loves you. He just…needs a reminder of what you two are all about."

"We'll see. But will you keep the children?"

"Of course." Hermione squeezed Molly's hand and stood up.

"Thank you. I'll be back in a few days." She saw Molly give her a sad smile before she apparated back to her house.

_I'm feeling really unappreciated_

_You're taking my love for granted, baby_

_I don't know_

_How much more_

_I can take from you_

_You don't do the things you use to do_

_You don't even say "I love you too" _

_And lately I've been feeling, feeling unappreciated. _

Hermione cleaned her house to bide the time. Her husband was coming back home from a tournament in Brussels and should be back any time. She didn't know how this conversation was going to start or how it was going to end. As she was gathering the laundry, she noticed something on Ron's shirt. She had a closer look and noticed it was lipstick. It wasn't a shade she wore. Her heart beat hard in her chest at the thought that Ron may be having an affair. She heard a pop from the living room.

"Mione? Are you home?"

"Up here!" she called out. She wiped her face off. He walked into the room and set down his bag.

"Ron, we need to talk," she whispered.

"Can it wait, darling? I really need to shower and then the coach is taking us out for a victory dinner."

"No, Ron, it can't wait. Our marriage is in trouble." Ron pulled off his shirt and threw it on a pile of clean clothes on the bed. She grabbed his shirt and threw it on the ground.

"What do you mean our marriage is in trouble?" Ron asked, putting on a clean shirt.

"If you were wise, you would stay."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"Are you really that dense, Ron? It means if you leave, I won't be here when you get back." Ron stared at her in shock. He sat down on the bed and motioned for her to sit beside him. Hermione ran a hand threw her hair and sat down, facing him.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"What happened to us, Ron? You hardly listen to me; you hardly talk to me; you don't kiss me in the mornings like you use to; you don't even tell me that you love me anymore. You're always gone and I found this." Hermione grabbed his shirt with the lipstick on it and showed it to him. "Are you having an affair?"

"What? No!"

"That's not my shade. Who is she?"

"Hermione, I'm not having an affair. I was hammered one night and this chick was all over me and smudged her lipstick on my shirt."

_Boy, when I first met you _

_I thought that you were the most perfect man_

_That I've ever seen and I still don't understand_

_Why you treat me like you do_

_I use to give into your lies_

_But now I see the truth_

"For some reason, I don't believe you."

"But it's the truth, Mione. Why won't you believe me?"

"Because I don't know you anymore! You don't appreciate anything I do around here. I've always catered to your needs and lately it's been a one way street. I would clean the house, do the laundry, take care of the kids, and you walk around here like some stranger taking advantage of what is available to you. When we make love, it's become so mechanical, like it's a chore. And on top of all of that, you forgot our bloody anniversary!"

"Mione, I…I had no idea you felt that way. I know I messed up on our anniversary, but I'll make it to you, I promise."

"Stop it, Ronald! Stop making promises you're not going to keep."

_No, No, I don't want to hear it_

_I'm through_

_Yeah, I know I'll still be missing you_

_But it's not worth the pain _

_That I gained from you_

_You make me feel unappreciated_

"I'm sorry, Mione. I truly am," he said, wiping her tears off with his thumb. Hermione shook her head and pulled his hand away from her face, holding it.

_I'm feeling really unappreciated_

_You're taking my love for granted, baby_

"Things have got to get better, Ron. I can't take much more of this feeling that I'm losing my husband…"

_I don't know_

_How much more_

_I can take from you_

"You're not losing me, love. What do you need me to do? I'll do it!" Ron interrupted, but Hermione kept going as if he didn't say anything.

"I don't ask for much. I don't mind taking care of you, the children, or the house. A 'thank you,' an 'I love you too' every once in a while would suffice. Marriage is about give and take. Times use to be when I give you a shoulder rub, you would do the same for me. I would ask about your day, you would ask about mine. I've been doing this alone."

_You don't do the things you use to do_

_You don't even say "I love you too"_

_And lately, I've been feeling, feeling unappreciated_

Hermione stood up and waved her wand to pack her suitcase. Ron stood as well.

"So that's it then? You're leaving?"

"I don't know how much effort I have put forth to get you to listen to me. I think some time apart will be good for us." Hermione grabbed her suitcase and headed towards the door. Ron stepped in front of her to block her way.

"Mione, please," he pleaded, guiding her hand to put down her suitcase. He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Don't leave me. I need you."

"Oh, I'm sure you do," she snapped back, picking her suitcase back up. "I'm your wife, not your caretaker."

_Don't love me no more_

_I've been feeling unappreciated_

She pushed passed Ron and headed down the stairs with tears pouring down her face.

"You can't do this to me, Hermione! What about the children?"

"The children will be staying with your mother."

"Where will you be?"

"You don't need to worry about that." She turned around to look at him and saw the tears that filled his eyes. "I believe that a few days apart will make us appreciate each other a little more." Ron stepped close enough to her to rest his forehead against hers. She could feel his tears drop down onto her cheeks, mixing with hers.

"Mione, I love you. Please don't leave me. Please." Hermione let a sob escape her then she pressed her lips to his and he quickly deepened the kiss, needing to taste her one more time. She pulled away before he could change her mind.

"Goodbye, Ron," she whispered.

"Hermione…" Ron begged, but before he could finish, she apparated out of the house.

"Hermione!" Ron banged the door with his fist and slid down, shaking as tears flowed freely from his tear ducts.

_I'm feeling unappreciated_.

**A/N: Sad isn't it? Don't hate me for making Ron like this. He does love her; he just needed a rude awakening. I'm making a song-fic sequel to this story. Stay tuned and review! **


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